This invention relates generally to high current carrying connectors, and more particularly to connectors having a multiplicity of circuit connections therein, each capable of conducting a high current and each comprising a pair of hermaphroditic contacts.
There are today many uses for high current carrying connectors, both in the home and in industry. For example, in the home, electric dryers, air conditioners, ranges, and electric heating require individual heavy duty connectors which usually consist of a Bakelite material female receptacle mounted on the wall and a mating three prong plug connected to the appliance. These heavy duty connectors are relatively expensive and ordinarily each of them services only one appliance.
The need for heavy duty connectors is much greater in industrial applications which also include such things as air conditioning, heating and lighting, and in addition include hundreds of thousands of heavy duty motors, magnetic driven devices, electroplating equipment, machine tools in general, etc.
Also in industrial applications a piece of equipment frequently requires large currents to perform more than one function. For example, a given piece of equipment may contain several high current consuming motors. To supply power for such industrial applications, cables are often connected directly from a circuit breaker box to a lug or screw type terminal located on or within the piece of equipment to be powered. From the array of lugs or screw-down type terminal board, a plurality of cables or conductors are connected to the various power consuming devices in the equipment.
Whether one motor or several are connected to a lug-type or screw-type terminal board, it is usually necessary to remove protective panels and to then disconnect the cables from the terminal board in the event of motor failure, or when an exchange of motors is needed. Also, in the case where several motors or other power consuming devices are connected to a common terminal board, the possibility of making incorrect connections is ever present.